Body Mind Spirit

Agitation arises when our state of mind is too uplifted and we are over-excited. The antidote for this is to find a way of bringing that excited state down to a more sober level. One way is to reflect on thoughts and ideas which have a naturally sobering effect, like death and the transient nature of life, or the fundamentally unsatisfactory side of human existence.
Read the rest of this entry →

The other obstacle we spoke of is a scattered, distracted state of mind, and this refers to the very general problem we have as soon as we try to focus on a particular object. We find that our mind very quickly loses its power of attention, and gets distracted and carried away by ideas or memories that can be pleasant or unpleasant.
Read the rest of this entry →

It is therefore possible to integrate both types of meditation into a theistic religion. A Christian, for instance, might engage in contemplation by reflecting upon the mysteries of the world, or the power of God’s grace, or on various reasons that he or she finds deeply inspiring and that enhance his belief in the divine Creator. Through such a process the individual might arrive at a deep-felt faith in God, and then could rest his mind in that state and remain single-pointedly focused. In this way, the practitioner arrives at a single-pointed meditation on God through an analytic process, so both aspects of meditation are present.

Obstacles to Meditation

Buddhist texts speak of four principal obstacles that one must overcome for meditation to be successful. The first is mental scattering or distraction, which arises at the coarse level of mind and refers to the tendency for our thoughts to be scattered. The second obstacle is dullness and drowsiness, or the tendency to fall asleep. The third is mental laxity, which means that our mind is unable to retain sharpness and clarity. Finally, at a more subtle level, there is mental excitement, or agitation which stems from the fluctuating, changeable nature of our mind.

When our mind is too alert it becomes excitable and easily agitated, and then our thoughts go chasing after different ideas or objects which make us feel either elated or depressed. Too much excitement leads to all kinds of moods and emotional states. By contrast, when laxity arises it brings a sense of respite, so it can feel quite pleasant because it is restful. Despite this, however, it is actually an obstacle to meditation. I have noticed that when birds and animals are well fed they are completely relaxed and contented, so when we hear a well-fed happy cat purring away, we could say that it is in a state of mental laxity.

Mental dullness occurs at a coarser level of the mind, whereas mental laxity, which is in a sense a result of dullness, is experienced on a much more subtle level. In fact, it is said that it is difficult for a meditator to distinguish between genuine meditation and mental laxity. This is because in mental laxity there is still a degree of clarity. You have not lost the focus of your attention in the meditation, but there is no alertness. So although you have a kind of clarity in your perception of the object, there is no vitality in that state of mind. For a serious meditator, it is very important to be able to distinguish between subtle laxity and genuine meditation. This is all the more critical because there are said to be different degrees of mental laxity.

Now of course, we could choose to focus on a negative object in our meditation. If, for example, you are infatuated with someone, and if you focus your mind single-pointedly on that person, and then dwell on their desirable qualities, this will have the effect of increasing your sexual desire for that person. But this is not what meditation is for. From a Buddhist point of view, meditation has to be practiced in relation to a positive object, by which we mean an object that will enhance your ability to focus. Through that familiarity you become closer and closer to the object and feel a sense of intimacy with it. In the classical Buddhist literature this type of meditation is described as shamatha, tranquil abiding, which is a single-pointed meditation.
Read the rest of this entry →